Trump: Rep. Cummings is racist, not me
Facing growing accusations of racism over his incendiary tweets, President Donald Trump tried to deflect the criticism Sunday by labeling a prominent minority congressman as himself racist and accusing Democrats of trying to “play the race card.”
Mr. Trump assailed Rep. Elijah Cummings, D- Md., as a racist after the president’s criticisms of the congressman’s majority- black district in the Baltimore area as a “rodentinfested mess” where “no human being would want to live” drew widespread condemnation from Democrats as race- baiting.
Mr. Trump insisted nothing was racist about his criticism and tweeted back, “If racist Elijah Cummings would focus more of his energy on helping the good people of his district, and Baltimore itself, perhaps progress could be made in fixing the mess that he has helped to create over many years of incompetent leadership.” He offered no detail to back up his accusations against Mr. Cummings.
The president’s comments capped a weekend of attacks on Mr. Cummings, the powerful chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and marked his latest rhetorical shot against nonwhite lawmakers, exacerbating racial tensions. Two weeks ago, Mr. Trump caused a nationwide uproar with racist tweets directed at four Democratic congresswomen of color.
Tear gas in Hong Kong
Popular central Hong Kong neighborhoods became foggy battlegrounds Sunday as police, for the second day in a row, fired tear gas and projectiles at thousands of protesters who were again demonstrating without official authorization.
The clouds of gas left bystanders — including children, tourists and the elderly — choking and sputtering, underscoring the growing risks of Hong Kong’s deepening political crisis, now in its eighth weekend.
Police and protesters alike shouted warnings to residents to close their windows and protect themselves from tear gas. But the noxious gas, fired around the trendy Sheung Wan neighborhood near central Hong Kong, seeped into packed residential buildings, hotels and air- conditioning systems.
Hong Kong’s tensions were sparked by a bill that would allow fugitives to be extradited to China and have deepened as the government refuses to fully withdraw the proposal.
Nadler on impeachment
President Donald Trump deserves to be impeached, but the House Judiciary Committee is still investigating to determine whether to report resolutions to the full House, the panel’s chairman said.
“He richly deserves impeachment. He has done many impeachable offenses. He’s violated the law six ways from Sunday,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D- N. Y., said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “The question is: Can we develop enough evidence to put before the American people? We’ve broken the logjam.”
On Friday, House Democrats took a significant step toward opening an impeachment inquiry as the Judiciary Committee asked a federal court to force the release of grand jury information from Mr. Mueller’s investigation.
Puerto Rico successor
The woman who is supposed to replace Puerto Rico’s embattled governor announced Sunday that she doesn’t want the job.
Justice Secretary Wanda Vazquez tweeted that she hopes Gov. Ricardo Rossello will appoint a secretary of state before resigning Aug. 2 as planned.
Former Secretary of State Luis Rivera Marin would have been next in line as governor, but he is one of more than a dozen officials who have resigned in recent weeks since someone leaked profane messages in which Mr. Rossello and advisers insulted people, including women and victims of Hurricane Maria.